Rosemary Dobson
| birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales | death_date = June | death_place = Canberra, ACT | death_cause = | residence = | other_names = | known_for = Poetry | education = | employer = | occupation = Poet, Anthologist, Editor, Teacher | title = | spouse = Alec Bolton (1926-1996) | partner = | children = Lissant, Robert, Ian | parents = | relatives = Ruth (Sister) | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} Rosemary de Brissac Dobson AO (born 18 June 1920) was an award winning Australian poet, also significant as an illustrator, editor and anthologist.Anderson (1996) She has published fourteen volumes of poetry, has been published in almost every annual volume of Australian Poetry and has been translated into French and other languages.Adelaide (1988) p. 52 Life Rosemary Dobson was born in Sydney, the second daughter of English-born A.A.G. (Arthur) Dobson and Marjorie (née Caldwell). Her father's father was Austin Dobson a poet and essayist.Hooton (2000b) p. 1, 5, 10, 11, 25, 3 Her father died when she was five years old. She attended the prestigious Frensham School where her mother obtained work as a housemistress. Here she met Australian children's author, Joan Phipson, who had been asked to set up a printing press. She stayed on, after completion of her studies, as an apprentice teacher of art and art history. When she turned 21, Dobson attended the University of Sydney as a non-degree student. She also studied design with Australian artist, Thea Proctor. She worked as an editor and reader for the publisher Angus and RobertsonRosemary Dobson Contents Page (Australian Literature Resources) Accessed: 13 February 2007 with Beatrice Davis and Nan McDonald. She married the publisher Alec Bolton (1926–1996), whom she met while working at Angus and Robertson, in Sydney, and they had three children. During these Sydney years she became well-acquainted with other writers and artists, such as poet Douglas Stewart and his artist wife, Margaret Coen, writer and artist Norman Lindsay, Kenneth Slessor, and James McAuley. They lived in London from 1966 to 1971, during which she travelled widely in Europe and cemented her lifelong interest in art. The Boltons moved to Canberra in 1971 where Alec Bolton set up the Publications area of the National Library of Australia. In Canberra they were friendly with David Campbell, A. D. Hope, R. F. Brissenden and Dorothy Green. As time wore on, her local circle explanded to include younger writers such as Alan Gould and Geoff Page. Her older sister, Ruth, became Australia's first woman career diplomat Ambassador. Literary career Dobson began writing poetry at the age of seven. Her first collection, In a Convex Mirror, appeared in 1944, and was followed by thirteen more volumes. Her work demonstrates her love of art, antiquity and mythologyWilde, Hooton and Andrews (1994) p. 135 as well as her experience of motherhood. Hooton describes her work as both consistent and varied: "consistency balanced with variety, reserve with passion, past with present, tradition with innovation, ancient myth with contemporary life, domesticity with culture, and above all Australia with Europe. Douglas Stewart suggested that she is "a religious person in the deepest and most important sense".Smith (1980) p. 334 In her introduction to her 1973 Selected Poems, Dobson wrote of her aims: "I hope it will be perceived that the poems presented here are part of a search for something only fugitively glimpsed, a state of grace which one once knew, or imagined, or from which one was turned away. Surely everyone who writes poetry would agree this is part of it - a doomed but urgent wish to express the inexpressible". In addition to poetry she has produced anthologies including two, with poet David Campbell, containing their translations of Russian poetry. She has also written prose. Brindabella Press In 1972, Dobson's husband, Alec Bolton, sent up Brindabella Press on which he worked for the rest of his life, working more actively after his retirement from the Library in 1987. Dobson had input as editorial adviser and proof-reader. Both she and Bolton enjoyed the art of the private press in a time when computer type-setting was taking over and producing a more standardised product.Smith (1980) p. 333 Two early publications from the press, published in 1973, were a small sheet edition of some of Dobson's poems titled Three poems on water-springs and a small book of poems by David Campbell titled Starting from Central Station : a sequence of poems. Recognition In 2006 Dobson was honored at the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards with a Special Award. In the award citation the judges said of her: " “The level of originality and strength of Rosemary’s poetry cannot be underestimated, nor can the contribution she has made to Australian literature.”Rosemary Dobson, Virgina Quarterly Review, VQROnline.org, Web, Mar. 4, 2012. Other awards and honours won by Dobson thoughout her career include: *1948: The Sydney Morning Herald Poetry Prize for The Ship of Ice *1966 Myer Award II for Australian Poetry for Cock Crow''Hooton (2000a) p.71 *1977 Australian National University Honorary Convocation Member *1979: Robert Frost Award *1984: Patrick White Award *1984: Grace Leven Prize for Poetry for Best Volume of Poetry for the Year ''The Three Fates & Other Poems *1985: Victorian Premier's Literary Award Joint Winner for The Three Fates *1986: Association for the Study of Australian Literature Honorary Life Member *1987: Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)It's an Honour - Officer of the Order of Australia *1996: Australia Council Writer’s Emeritus Award *1996: University of Sydney Honorary Doctor of Letters *2001: The Age Book of the Year Book of the Year and Poetry Awards for Untold Lives & Later Poems *2006: NSW Alice Award Portraits Norman Lindsay made three portraits of Dobson, the first one at the suggestion of Douglas Stewart who suggested he draw or paint Australian writers.Bolton (2005) p. 8 Lindsay's first portrait of Dobson was a drawing, but it was then suggested that he do an oil painting. Lindsay asked her to wear her rose-coloured evening dress. This painting is now owned by the National Library of Australia, as is the dress she wore for the portrait.Bolton (2005) p. 8-9 Dobson sat a third time for Lindsay, at his request and wearing clothes of his suggestion. This portrait is now missing. Artist Thea Proctor made four drawings of Dobson while Dobson was attending Proctor's art classes.Bolton (2005) p. 9 Publications Poetry * Poems. Mittagong, New South Wales: Frensham Press, 1937. * In a Convex Mirror. Sydney: Dymocks, 1944. * The Ship of Ice, with other poems. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1948. * Child with a Cockatoo, with other poems. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1948. * Rosemary Dobson. Sydney: Angus & Robertson (Australian Poets), 1963. * Poems. Australian Poets and Artists, Adelaide: Australian Letters, 1964?. * Cock Crow: Poems. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1965. * Selected Poems. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1973. ISBN 0-207-12809-X * Greek Coins: A sequence of poems. Brindabella, 1977."Rosemary Dobson," Wikipedia, Wikimedia, Web, Mar. 4, 2012. ISBN 0-909422-05-2 * Over the Frontier. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1978. ISBN 0-207-13636-X * The Continuance of Poetry Brindabella, 1981. ISBN 0-909422-09-5 * The Three Fates & Other Poems. Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1984. ISBN 0-86806-133-6 * Seeing and Believing. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1990. ISBN 0-642-10500-6 * Collected Poems. North Ryde, NSW: Angus & Robertson, 1991. ISBN 0-207-16864-4 * Untold Lives: A sequence of poems. Deakin, ACT: Brindabella Press, 1992. * Untold Lives, and later poems. Rose Bay, NSW: Brandl and Schlesinger, 2000. ISBN 1-876040-26-2 * Folding the Sheets, and other poems. Warners Bay, NSW: Picaro Press, 2004. * Poems to Hold or Let Go. Ampersand Duck, 2008. Non-Fiction * Focus on Ray Crooke. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1971. ISBN 0-7022-0702-0 * A World of Difference: Australian poetry and painting in the 1940s Wentworth Press, 1973. ISBN 0-85587-064-8 Translated * Moscow Trefoil: Poems from the Russian of Anna Akhmatova and Osip Mandelstam (with David Campbell and Natalie Staples). Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1975. ISBN 0-7081-0141-0 * Seven Russian Poets: Imitations (with David Campbell). St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1979. ISBN 0-7022-1418-3 Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the Australian Poetry Library.Rosemary Dobson (1920- ), Australian Poetry Library, Web, Mar. 4, 2012. See also * List of Australian poets References *Adelaide, Debra (1988) Australian Women Writers: A Bibliographic Guide, London, Pandora *[http://www.usyd.edu.au/senate/committees/advisoryRDobson.shtml Anderson, D.J. (1996) Citation for Honorary Award to Rosemary Dobson AO] *Bolton, Rosemary Dobson (2005) "The rose-coloured dress", National Library of Australia News, XV (9): 7-9, June 2005 *Hooton, Joy (ed) (2000a) Rosemary Dobson: A celebration, National Library of Australia ISBN 0-642-10728-9 *Hooton, Joy (2000b) "Rosemary Dobson: A Life of Making Poetry" in Hooton, Joy (ed) (2000) Rosemary Dobson: A celebration, National Library of Australia ISBN 0-642-10728-9 *NSW Premier's Literary Awards Judges Comments *Smith, Graeme Kinross (1980) Australian Writers, West Melbourne, Nelson *Wilde, W., Hooton, J. & Andrews, B (1994) The Oxford Companion of Australian Literature 2nd ed. South Melbourne, Oxford University Press Notes External links ;Poems *"A Fine Thing" * Rosemary Dobson (1920- ) at the Australian Poetry Library (577 poems). ;Audio / video * [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/stories/2008/2240297.htm "Poetry Special: 'The Continuance of Poetry' by Rosemary Dobson", on ABC Radio National Book Show] ;About *''Rosemary Dobson: A celebration'' (.PDF) ;Etc. * Papers of Rosemary Dobson Ms 4955 Category:1920 births Category:Australian poets Category:Living people Category:People from Sydney Category:Australian women writers Category:Women poets Category:Writers from New South Wales Category:Writers from the Australian Capital Territory Category:Officers of the Order of Australia Category:20th-century poets Category:20th-century women writers Category:English-language poets Category:Poets